Isaac m



PATENTE!) JAN. 8, 1867.

` I. M. MILBANK. BRBBCH LOADING PIREARM.

ISAAC M. MILBANK, OF GREEN FIELD HILL, CONNECTICUT.

Lettera Patent No. 61,082, dated January 8, 1867.

IMPROVEMBNT'IN Basson-LOADING marinus;

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.:

Beit known that I, ISAAC M. MILBANK, of Greenfield Hill, in the countyof Fairfield, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain'new-nnduseful Improvements in Breach-Loading Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of thedsame,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a portion of.this specification, in whichr i Figure I- is a plan or top view of afire-arm, constructed according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. I

Figure 3 is a detached view of u portion of the same. y

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

This invention is designed, more especially, for the conversion ofor'dinary muzzle-loading muskets into breech-loaders, and it consists ina movable locking bolt, placed perpendicularly in the rearmost end ofthe breech-block, and operating in such relation with the rear end orrecoil bearing of the breechreceiver, as to securely'lock thebreech-block against the recoil of the chargein firing. The inventionfurther consists in a novel construction of the head or upper end of thcaforesaid locking bolt, whereby the blow of the hammer may be very'conveniently transmitted to the firing-pin without necessitating anymaterial change in the hammer, as usually constructed for muzzle-loadingarms; and, furthermore, the invention consists in a novel means ofgiving a spiral or twisting motion' to the locking bolt in withdrawingthe same to unlock the breech-block, whereby the"'cperaticwo'anelosingtheibreeeh-isgreatly facilitated.

To enable others to understand the construction and operation of myinvention, I will proceed to describe it, with reference to thedrawings.

A represents the stock of the arm',- and B thebarrel thereof, the saidbarrel having a'breech-pin, a, screwed into its rear-most end, in themanner common to muzzle-loading lire-arms, and attached to the stock bya screw, a. The rearmost portion of the barrel, in front of thebreech-piu a, is hollowed out or cut away at its upper side, in orderl.that `a breech-receiver may be -formed therein, inwhich thebreech-block C is placed, as shown in iig. 2. The forward upper edge orcorner -of the breech-block Gis pivoted to the upper side of the barrelby@ transverse pivot, c, which is supported by a band, E, which passesaround and underneath the ba`rrel in such manner that the saidbreech-block may be turned upward, around the said pivot `c,`into theposition shown in red outline in iig. 2, in order to open or unclosethev breech of the arm wheny desired. The greuteg portion of therearmost end of the breech-receiver is formed on the arc of a circleconcentric with the pivot c, asshown at d, and the rear end'of thebreech-block C is made of corresponding shape, so as to properly t thesaniewhen the breechis closed. Formed in the rearmost end of thebreech-block is a cylindrical slot, e, which is situated perpendicularto the upper and lower sides of the breech-block. The lower part of therearmost end of the l breech-receiver is recessed or hollowed out, sothat a bearing, f, is formed, which is so situated that when the breechis closed the saidv bearing will form a continuation of the rearmostside of the cylindrical slot e, in the breech-block C, this bearingbeing, of course, perpendicular to the bottom of the breech receiver, asshown in lig. 2. Placed within the slot e is a cylindrical lockingbolD,in one side of i which is formed a short spiral groove, into whichprojects the inner end of a small set-screw or xed pin, h, which is xedin the real-most end of. the breech-block, as shown in iig. 2. The heador upper end of this locking bolt, D, is extended laterally, as shown atD in g. 1, being thus situated between the hammer F and the firing-pinz' in such manner that when the hammer descends it will strike therearmost side of the said head, and force the forward side thereofagainst `the rear cnd of the firing-pin z', which works in a suitableslot or receptacle formed in the breech-block with sucient forc'c todrive the said piu forward to ignite the charge, the bolt turning'slightly to allow of this action uponthc tiring-pin, the innermost endoi' the set-screw 7L being *narrower than thc spiral groove g, in orderto I admit of this turning of the locking bolt. The head D is furnishedwith a laterally projecting knob or handle,

l, by which the locking bolt is operated in unlocking the breech, aswill be hereinafter explained. In closing the breech, t'ho brooch-blockC is turned down into the breech-receiver, as shown in lig. 2, and thelocking bolt D is pushed downward, until its lower cnd is Vfitted infront of the bearing f, and, inasmuch as when in this position the lowercud of the said locking bolt extends beyond the arc'of a. circledescribed by the rear end of' thcrhrcechblock, and also hy the rear cndof the brecchreceiver, it follows that the said bolt, by bearing againstthe benringj; securely locks the breech-block against the recoil of thecharge, Aand prevents it from being thrown upward or out of placethereby. In opening the breech, the locking bol*l iswforced upward withthe hand by means of the knob or handle b5 and is thus withdrawn fromthe bearing f, such withdrawal being`fncilitated by the spiral ortwisting motion communicated to the said bolt by the set-screwh actingin the groove g, as hereinbefore explained. The breech-piece being thusunlocked, is turned upward into the position shown in red lines in iig,2, and the cartridge is inserted into the rear end of therbarrel thusunolosed, which being done, the breechblock is brought'back to its placeand locked therein, as just hereinbefore set forth. The charge may thenbe tired by the striking of the hammer F upon the laterally extendinghead D of the locking bolt Dand the consequent forward movement of thefiring-pin z'. By these means the breech-block is securely lockedagainst the explosion of the charge, and may, at the same time, be veryconveniently-operated to open the breech'when desired; and, furthermore,no essential change in the form or construction of the hammer, asordinarily used in muzzle-loading lire-arms,- is required.

What I claimasnew, and desire to seeure by Letters'Patent, is- Thespirally-grooved locking bolt D, operating in combination with the fixedscrew z, and pivoted breech block c, on the r'ear of thebreech-receiver, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

. 4 I. M. MILBANK.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. REED, L. HoLMEs,'Jr.

